Christiian Harris
I am a Limited Licensed Professional Counselor (LLPC) who graduated with a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Southern New Hampshire University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Eastern Michigan University. My journey to becoming a mental health counselor began through a transformative experience with counseling during my teenage years.
I have experience working with adolescents, college-aged adults, adults, and older adults who have faced distress in many aspects of their lives. Together with my clients, I have worked to resolve or at least lessen the distress related to issues such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem, boundaries, life transitions, self-harm, and suicidality.
I believe that the distress, trauma, and pain we experience in our present doesn’t have to define our future. Everyone has the capacity to grow, change, and become the person they aspire to be. When working with me, clients can gain a different perspective and awareness of the distress in their lives and how past experiences continue to influence them. They come to understand how their thoughts, beliefs, and values shape their current thought and behavior patterns, and learn how to break free from these influences to foster change and healing.
Therapy can be challenging. While working with me, the client is the expert on their own life, and I serve as the expert on mental health. Together, we address the issues causing distress. I teach clients how to identify and challenge irrational thoughts and beliefs about themselves. Through this process, we work together to uncover the root of these issues, which are often grounded in the client's past. Trauma can significantly affect how we perceive the world, ourselves, others, our feelings of safety, power, and much more. Through a structured method, we often see significant change in roughly 12 sessions. I help clients learn how to challenge and modify unhelpful beliefs related to their trauma.
I live in Jackson with my wife, two dogs, and many cats. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, hiking, watching comedies, and spending quiet evenings with my animals.